This invention relates to a stabilizing device, and more particularly to an improved small-size stabilizing device adapted to a socket-adapter for miniature fluorescent lamps.
As shown in FIG. 1, a miniature fluorescent lamp developed by the Philips Co. of the Netherland is increasingly demanded on the market because of its small size, energy efficiency, brightness and long life expectancy. This kind of fluorescent lamp includes an elongated U-shaped lamp tube 1 and a plugging head 2, which, in addition to a pair of metal prongs 21 and a protrusion catch 22 provided for being detachably connected to a socket-adapter (as shown in FIG. 2), has an actuator (not shown) electrically installed therein in conjunction with the lamp tube 1.
Shown in FIG. 2 is a known socket-adapter designed for the miniature fluorescent lamp. This kind of socket-adapter is simply a modification of the plugging head 2 of the fluorescent lamp shown in FIG. 1. To use the lamp, the required stabilizer has to be disposed separately in the power source, causing considerable inconvenience. The reasons for separating the stabilizer from the socket-adapter are: (1) the volume of the socket-adapter has to be limited to about 5 cm in diameter and 5 cm in height, and no stabilizer can be incorporated into it simply because the size of the stabilizer is larger than the volume of the socket-adapter; (2) as the known stablizer is usually formed with E-shaped iron core made of silicon steel laminates, around which are wound wires, and which are held in position within a frame, the slits formed between the silicon steel laminates of the iron core can easily cause magnetic loss and increase heat in the iron core of the stabilizer. In order to solve the problem above, the size of the iron core is enlarged and the insulation of the used material is reinforced. As a result, not only is the volume of the stabilizer augmented but the manufacturing cost is also increased. For the above reasons, no stabilizer is built in the known socket-adapter for miniature fluorescent lamps.
Shown in FIG. 3 is a socket-adapter designed by this inventor for miniature fluorescent lamps. As can be seen in the drawing, the socket-adapter includes a stabilizer disposed on top of the socket-adapter with the plugging head 2 of the miniature fluorescent lamp 1 being connected at a lower end of the socket-adapter. Although the structure of this socket-adapter is an improvement over the traditional socket-adapter with its problems as mentioned in (1) and (2) above, the total size is still too great because the iron core of the stabilizer has windings provided in the center, and the plugging head 2 of the fluorescent lamp 1 can be connected only to the lower end of the socket-adapter.